Let’s Get Spiritual: Five Exercises to Nourish Your Soul
In the desert darkness of winter, the Light of the world appeared to me and my burdens were lifted. My life’s purpose clear as I came to embrace the Truth. This Prodigal child welcomed back into his Father’s fold. A soul no longer in isolation. A soul in restoration.
This February, twenty-two to be exact, marks five years since my spiritual awakening. When I stopped putting my faith in any worldly institution, my own ego, or any human promises of salvation. It would be the day that materialism dies.
After spending most of my adult life chasing stuff that I believed would bring me happiness, I realized that happiness is not a destination but a momentary respite from life’s trials. What I sought was peace.
The peace that passes all understanding. Peace that only happens when you fully trust in God no matter what happens in this world. A faith no longer in creatures but the Creator.
Five years later, I’m still at peace while I try to learn a life of love. A life of doing unto others. A life that honors God.
But like anything that really matters, it takes work and effort to try and become the conduit of Love that God wants me to become. Sometimes I’m successful in my pursuit of doing right by God and my neighbor; sometimes not so much; sometimes not at all.
As I work to strengthen my faith and extend grace to others and myself, I’m also learning and incorporating time proven practices to help strengthen my soul. Bolstering my sense of peace and boosting my mission as a disciple of Love. Aligning my life and my actions to honor only God.
As one might expect, all these actions to nourish my spiritual life are about moving beyond myself and my worries. Pushing myself to connect, not disconnect from the world. No small effort for an introvert like myself.
But the only way to create more Love in the world is to participate in it. Like God does, like I need to do. Practicing these spiritual exercises have helped me on my faith journey and maybe they can help you as well as you become a disciple of Love.
- Prayer*. God is alive, real and relational. God wants us to engage with the Divine. We are all God’s children and unconditionally loved by our Creator. God loves you and only wants good things for you. Take time to connect with God on a regular basis or anytime throughout the day. God is not only listening, but committed to your liberation from that which is not Love.
- Nature. While humans create beautiful stuff, nothing compares to the natural world including the extraterrestrial. Beauty, like Truth, flows from God. Billions of distinctive sunrises and sunsets, all the amazing creatures that we share this planet with and billions of galaxies so wondrous that we’re in awe with every image that’s captured by space-based telescopes. Like Truth, its freely available to us, but only if we choose to leave our screens behind and look up and around.
- Volunteer. It’s not by coincidence that loving God is about loving our neighbor. Jesus clear that this is the greatest commandment. Follow this Divine guidance and you’ll always be nearer to God. You’ll also get perspective and distance from your own worries by helping others move pass their challenges. When humans make their lives about serving others, no matter your life’s work, your harvest will always be good and plenty.
- Create. Humans without purpose (work) is never good. Idle lives become fertile ground for tempting us with pleasures that will never bring peace or lead us down paths of human self-importance that will harm ourselves and others, just like a life solely based on pleasure. Man cannot live on bread alone. Like everything in cosmos, we have with a purpose. Honor God in everything that you create in song, word and craft. Raise children, build new relationships, and aspire to better the world for all people in all that you create.
- Learn. God has given us this incredible gift of intelligence. The ability to learn and understand not only the workings of the natural world, but also to learn from one another’s life experience no matter our place in time. Through reading and engaging with other critically thinking people, we can find comfort and guidance through the learnings and insights of others. Begin with the Bible. This is the literature of Life. Imparting us with wisdom, direction and instructions to live the best life possible; a life that honors God alone. A life in service to Love.
Peace. God loves you.
*Prayer and meditation are not the same thing. Meditation is always about you; prayer is always about healing the world by invoking Love.